Amusement rides with tracks on towers are known in the art. Also known from prior application WO2012/162675 is a roller coaster mounted on a tower. Mounting the track mainly on the exterior of the tower (which is done to allow the interior of the tower to function as both the “up” section of the track and contain elevators, evacuation stairs and other equipment to allow the top of the tower to have a useable retail/dining/viewing area) limits the possible maneuvers the track can be designed to perform because there is a strict limit on the distance out from the support pillars that the track can be mounted. However, mounting the track around the exterior of the tower creates the problem that all of the direction of rotation of the track curves around is in the same direction, potentially increasing motion sickness in riders. Although the tracks can be “stacked” at least two tracks deep out from the pillars without additional support from below, it is difficult for the path of the track to cross over itself too often so long as the track is mounted solely on the exterior of the tower. When the track is mounted solely on the exterior of the tower, the entire track has to remain within a roughly cylindrical space around the tower defined by the support pillars on the inside and the maximum distance the track can be out from the tower on the outside.
Due to the length of the upward track, standard chain drives used on most rollercoasters could not be used, as the weight of the chain would create too many problems. However, the height of the ride requires a very safe drive system. Chain drives and associated sprockets are very noisy, making the ride unsuitable to put into many environments that one might wish to put a ride with such a small footprint, such as a shopping area. Chain drives also require lubrication, which will possibly drip on the riders. Further, chain drives are subject to more wear than the proposed system.
The foregoing example of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.